Page 27

27

S tone stood on the deck watching Sherman frolic in the grass as he waited for Juliana. He had no idea what was taking her so long, but he didn’t mind. It had given him time to pack what they needed without her seeing, which helped keep their outing a surprise. He also liked the idea of her moving around in his room, in his home, as if it were her own.

He poked and prodded at that thought. He shouldn’t be so comfortable with her after only a few days. It was even more than comfort, though—he wanted her to feel at home, he wanted her where he could care for her. She wasn’t a woman who needed looking after—it wasn’t that—but what she wanted, what she needed, was important to him in a way it had never been with other women.

“Sorry,” she said, joining him. “My aunt called,” she added, making a face.

The corners of his mouth tipped down. “You okay? What’d she want?”

She cocked her head in thought, her long blond hair falling over her shoulder. “I don’t actually know. She usually calls me when she expects something from me. More often than not, when my uncle has some campaign thing or bill that he’s arguing for and she wants to stress that I’m not to make waves of any sort.”

He refrained from commenting on that. “Not this time, though?”

She shook her head, then shook it again more vigorously, as if to clear it. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, then smiled. “What’s the plan?”

He eyed her. Shadows lingered in the planes of her face, but she also appeared resolute in her desire to put the phone call behind her. “Come with me,” he said, holding his hand out.

A blinding smile spread across her expression, making her eyes dance and light up. Somehow, his entire being felt twenty pounds lighter when she looked at him like that.

“As you wish,” she said, slipping her hand in his. After closing the door and resetting the alarm, they set out across the lawn. Sherman came darting over, bumping against Juliana, trying to get as close as possible. His tail tangled in the long, loose summer dress she wore—one that tied around her neck and fell down her chest in a deep vee, doing amazing things to her already amazing breasts—making her laugh.

As they walked, they chatted about inane but everyday things—the gorgeous summer evening, the upcoming Labor Day weekend, when the farmer would harvest the hay growing in his fields.

The deeper into the woods they moved, the quieter the conversation grew until it fell off altogether. Not for lack of things to say, but in appreciation of their surroundings—of the scent of pine that filled the air, the call of birds in the trees, and the colorful wildflowers that cropped up in patches along their path.

Twenty minutes from the house, he stepped into a clearing and stopped. Juliana halted beside him, her shoulder brushing his, Sherman flanking her other side. He looked down at the pup and considered putting his leash on. Stone didn’t want him to wander off, but judging by how he leaned into Juliana, and how he hadn’t gone more than twenty feet from them the entire walk, he decided not to. He’d keep an eye on him, but he suspected Sherman might be more worried that they’d wander off without him than the other way.

“Is that water I hear?” Juliana asked.

“It is,” he replied. “A small river that flows into the lake.”

“And it’s on your property? Seems like you’d get a lot of river rafters if it flows into the lake.”

He started across the clearing, slowing his stride to appreciate their surroundings. “The water levels fluctuate too much, and there’s often a lot of debris. It’s too much work considering there are three other larger, more navigable rivers.”

“Lucky you,” she said.

“Definitely. On occasion, if I’m out hiking, I may see a neighbor fishing, but mostly, people use it to cool down. Two properties up, the Gundersons, they have six grandkids under the age of ten, and they spend a lot of time with the little ones splashing in the shallows.”

She grinned. “Is that what we’re going to do? Splash in the shallows?”

They drew to a stop on a rise overlooking the gently rambling waterway. “Oh, it’s lovely,” she said, her gaze sweeping over the sight.

She wasn’t wrong. The low hill where they stood descended gently before flattening into a perfect picnic spot ten feet from the riverbank. Wildflowers dotted the banks, trees swayed in the breeze, and every now and then, they heard a fish popping up.

But that wasn’t the best part.

“Come with me,” he said, leading her down the hill. Sherman bounded ahead of them and began sniffing along the riverbank.

Setting the backpack he carried down in the clearing by the bank, he turned to Juliana, who stood watching their dog and eyeing the river.

“Are you ready for a swim?” he asked.

Her gaze jerked to his. “I don’t have a suit.”

He cocked his head. “I don’t either.”

The breeze lifted the ends of her hair, a lock getting caught on her chest. He reached over and set it free, his fingers brushing her skin as he tucked the strands behind her shoulders.

“Never in my life have I skinny-dipped,” she said. Then after a beat, she frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever been fully naked in front of anyone—boy or girl—in the middle of the day.”

“Now that is a shame,” he said with a smile. His body had gone rock hard at the idea of her naked in the sunshine. She might be hesitant to strip, but he was pretty sure his raging erection would distract her from her own nudity. Not that he expected her to do anything about it, only that it would provide a distraction.

He adjusted his jeans, then stripped off his shirt. Tossing it on the ground, he met her eyes again. “You game?”

Her gaze traveled over his bare chest. “You are a fine specimen of a man, Simon McLean.”

“If you want to see the rest, you have to join me.”

Her eyes lifted to his again, her internal debate playing out in her expression. Slowly, she toed off her shoes. Then her eyes never leaving his, she reached behind her and untied her dress. The top fell, exposing her gorgeous breasts to the sun, the breeze, and him. His zipper barely contained him as he watched.

When she shimmied out of her dress, taking her underwear with it and leaving her stark naked, a pool of blue fabric at her feet, he lost his breath.

Her fair skin glowed in the early evening sun, the rays catching bits of her hair, giving her a sort of halo. Her dark rosy nipples seemed to reach for him, but for now, he kept his hands to himself and continued drinking her in. Her waist nipped in before flaring out again at her hips and the thatch of blond curls—slightly darker than her hair—beckoned him to the place between her thighs. His gaze lingered there, remembering how she tasted, then with a shuddering breath, he pulled it away to soak in her long, strong legs, following the lines of her muscles until he reached her blue-painted toenails.

Not only was Juliana Morganstern fucking gorgeous, she was also brave as hell. He didn’t underestimate the courage it took to strip in front of him in broad daylight. Not because she didn’t have what the media deemed the “perfect body,” but because what she’d done was immensely vulnerable. Exposing every part of herself to him, keeping nothing in the shadows or under the covers.

“Turn around.” Probably not the most romantic thing he could have said, but he ached to see all of her.

She hesitated, then slowly turned. When she faced him again, he managed to pull his gaze from the lushness of her body and look her in the eye. And the hesitancy there slayed him. She watched him warily, as if waiting for a critique.

Words wouldn’t fix this, so he did what felt right. Kicking his shoes off, he eased his jeans down over his throbbing erection and stripped out of the rest of his clothes. Then he stood before her—as vulnerable as she and with the unmistakable evidence of his appreciation of her, of his attraction to her, bobbing between them.

She licked her lips as her gaze devoured him. Without being asked, he, too, turned in a circle, letting her see all of him.

Her expressive face didn’t help the situation. Especially not when her attention lingered on his cock and she stared at it as if contemplating all the things she wanted to do to and with it. He was on board for anything she wanted, but if they didn’t move soon, he suspected they’d never make it into the water. And he had something he wanted to share with her.

Holding out his hand, he asked silently if she’d join him. A beat later, she stepped forward and laid her palm in his.

Remembering they weren’t entirely alone, Stone scanned the riverbank for Sherman, then nodded in satisfaction when he saw him lying on his side in a spot of sun sound asleep.

“Will it be cold?” she asked as he led her to the water’s edge.

“At first, but not as cold as you think or would expect, given that it’s mostly melted snowpack,” he replied, stepping in. The cool water lapped at his feet, the riverbed rocky but stable under his soles.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then stepped in beside him. They stood together for a few moments, the gentle current washing over their feet and ankles.

“You’re right, it’s not bad,” she said, taking another step in.

He followed. “Word of warning, there’s a drop-off in another few feet. You won’t go completely under, but it’s a couple of feet down and startling if it catches you by surprise.”

She nodded and continued inching her way forward, the water now at her knees.

“One more step and you’ll be there,” he said.

She paused and used a foot to test the riverbed. She dipped slightly when she found the small ledge. Reaching for him with both hands, she held on, using him to keep her steady as she stepped down.

She sucked in a breath and flashed him a half smile, half grimace as the water closed around her thighs and belly. “A little cold,” she said with a laugh, still holding on to him.

He grinned back and once he felt sure she was stable—the rocks were bigger in this part of the river—he stepped down beside her. “But nice,” he said, bending his knees and dropping his whole body into the water.

When he broke the surface, she was laughing at him. “You’re braver than I,” she said.

“You know you’re two minutes away from doing the same thing,” he teased. “No way would you strip naked, walk all the way out here, and not take the final step.”

She eyed him, then with a shake of her head and a smile, she dropped below the surface so quickly that a shard of panic lanced through him. He reached out to grab her but before he could, she popped out of the water, smoothing her hair back as she rose.

“Not as bad as I thought,” she said with a grin. She’d about given him a heart attack, but hey, she was happy.

“Do you come here often?” she asked, sinking low in the water so that it came to her collarbone. He didn’t think she was hiding from him, just enjoying the gentle current.

He nodded and did the same, holding his arms to the side as he bobbed. “I like to come when the stars are out. By that time, the water and air temperatures are pretty close. It’s a nice time to take a dip.”

“And quiet. Although it’s not loud now,” she added.

“There is a muted peace at night,” he said. “And the stars can be brilliant. Not that I can see lots of sky, of course, but what I can see is usually amazing.”

They both looked up. The clearing they’d come through gave them a wider glimpse of the sky to the west than to the east, where towering pines came right to the edge of the river in some places.

“There’s another reason I come here at night,” he said. “Even in the winter.”

She looked at him skeptically but he held out a hand to her. Once again, she set hers in his and he started leading her downstream. They picked their way carefully over the rocks and toward a gentle bend in the waterway.

When they rounded the curve, he stopped, pulling her to his side. What he wanted to share with her lay to their right. A little something he’d discovered the year before.

“It’s a small pool,” Juliana said. “Are those benches?”

He smiled and started forward again, keeping hold of her as they waded toward what did, in fact, look like a small pool. In truth, he’d dug the area out from the riverbank a year ago, creating a rounded spot, eight feet across, that connected to the river by an opening a couple of feet wide.

“They are,” he said, answering her question. After carving out the nook, he’d added stone benches heavy enough not to wash away.

“It’s an adorable spot, but it looks like a lot of work went into it when…”

“When I could just wade in the river?” he finished, leading her closer.

“I’m curious, is all,” she said. Then drawing to a stop, she asked, “Is it getting warmer?”

He grinned. “And that’s why,” he said. “Trust me.”

“I already do,” she said, following him closer to the opening.

He glanced at her a few times as they closed the distance. With each step, her expression grew more and more confused. When they stepped through the opening from the river into the pool area, she swirled her hand in the water, her brow still furrowed. A few seconds passed before she looked at him in question.

He smiled and made a grand, sweeping gesture. “Welcome to your own private natural hot tub.”